am i eating enough?

[beretta96]

Hi guys,

I haven't posted in an awful long time but have been reading now and again. I took some time off for personal reasons but now getting back on track lately but I believe my diet is messed up. Looking for opinons please.

37 years old
5'11
213#
12% bf

according to fitday I'm eating,
2421 calories
48 fat
215 carb
285 protein

Most of my protein is chicken or tuna, and on occasion moose, deer and liver. I have three protein shakes and they are pre and post workout along with late afternoon. My pre workout shake is mixed with oats, egg whites, milk and creatine. This is my breakfast before the gym.

Don't be shy please and thank you.

[Talo]

What's your goal ?

[beretta96]

My goal is more strength and bulk.

My typical day is up at 3:45am, have my shake/oats/egg whites along with my supplements, then train from 5am to 6:25am then post w/o shake with creatine. Off to work, have a snack of either cottage cheese or home made moose/deer jerky with a banana. At 9:30am its a can of tuna with either grapefruit or salad. Lunch is leftovers typically chicken, wild game, liver or fish with rice and steamed veggies. Caseine shake at 3:30pm then supper. On occasion cottage cheese or shake before bed. I drink approximately 4-5 liters of water daily.

That pretty much sums up my monday to friday. Weekends, the meals are the same but the time structure is different because of the kids and their needs.

Hope that helps,

[japh]

At the risk of sounding like a smart ass if you have to ask you're probably not ;)

I start my diet on that calorie count basically only with different macro's. I would double my carbs and then go from there depending on subsequent weight gain. If I'm not gaining at least a pound a week I'm not eating enough imho.

I commend you on eating that clean as well. I'm not sure I could continually eat enough to bulk past 220-230 eating that clean myself. At some point you may want to eat healthy still but a little more calorie dense. I like the idea of a clean bulk but getting much past 230 without eatiing the odd triple whopper with cheese and bacon (1500 calories! :p), pizza, chinese food combo etc etc as well as having a protein shake mixed with chocolate milk beside me all day that I sip on makes it pretty difficult for me and I don't consider myself a hardgainer. I can get to 260 that way and anything past that means I have to get even more obscene with my diet. I've never had a huge appetite though. I can't eat enough if I eat clean all the time and want to gain significant weight in a 8 month window.

[Talo]

I would say no your not eating enough.

One rule is bw (215) x 20 =4300 cals.

However , is your weight going up with that 2400 cal diet your on now ?

Add in nuts, peanut butter, EVOO, milk - easy things like that will add some cals to your day :)

[beretta96]

thanks for the help. My weight is holding steady. Wow, 4300 calories opens up the window of things to eat considerably. I'd prefer to stay as clean as possible since I'm an easy fat gainer so double whoppers and stuff i don't think is that great for me. I will add in some nuts and more rice to boost it up. Do you think the protein intake is high enough? What is EVOO?

thanks,

[Talo]

Extra virgin olive oil - add this to your shakes for some healthy fats.

If you drink 2l of milk and eat a cup of nuts a day that alone will add almost 2000 cals to your diet.

Maybe start at 3500 cals for a week or two and see how your weight is. If your not gaining then add another 500 cals a day.

3500 cals is equal to 1 pound.

[Talo]

Extra virgin olive oil - add this to your shakes for some healthy fats.

If you drink 2l of milk and eat a cup of nuts a day that alone will add almost 2000 cals to your diet.

Maybe start at 3500 cals for a week or two and see how your weight is. If your not gaining then add another 500 cals a day.

3500 cals is equal to 1 pound.

[beretta96]

very cool. good info and thanks again. i didn't know 3500cals is a pound. will try your recommendation starting tomorrow.

[O-Train]

very cool. good info and thanks again. i didn't know 3500cals is a pound. will try your recommendation starting tomorrow.

"1lb of fat" So to gain/lose 1lb of fat/wk you would need a caloric surplus/deficit of 500Kcals/day.

[beretta96]

with the help of a friend at the gym, he has changed around my diet. Here are the macros so far and tell me what you think.
2378 calories
53.3 grams of fat
153.3 grams of carbs
327.4 grams of protein

six meals a day and 3 of them are shakes. I'll try and get rid of a shake and add some more real food.

[Talo]

I eat more than that when I'm trying to lose weight.

Step it up big guy :)

Add a cup on nuts if your finding it hard to eat more.

[japh]

Are you trying to gain weight or lose wieght?!?!

Thats a WEIGHTLOSS diet plan.

If you would like to gain weight TRIPLE YOUR CARBS AND DOUBLE YOUR FAT!!!!!!!!!! :)

[beretta96]

I was measured last night at 12%. I want a slow clean bulk so I was told to up my calories by 300 and keep measuring my waist every morning. When the "turtle shell" is getting bigger, then cut back a little. This way of monitoring I can keep the same waist size and still feed myself enough to grow. He says its more of a zig zag effect. Make sense?

[L3]

first thing that came to my mind when i read the thread title

if you need to ask - no, you're not

[beretta96]

If I were to double my calories as suggested, how would this not become fat if I'm not using most of it? I've lost over 50 pounds of fat in the last 2 years and I am paranoid of gaining it all back. Eating has never been an issue for me. The method I described above was given to me which would limit my fat at the same time eating enough to grow. What are your solutions?

[Andre Gregoire]

Don't double your calories the best approach is always middle ground. Try adding 200 calories daily from carbs and fats, wait 2 weeks see what happens then adjust again. You will probably be able to keep increasing calories for a while.

I don't like to make people gain more than 0.5-1.0lb per week when bulking, if they are natural and advanced then I go even slower.

Your current diet looks like it's slightly below maintenance calories. The diet your buddy made you has more protein and less carbs, I agree it looks more like a cutting diet.

[beretta96]

Ok....I'll throw in some almonds and make my shakes with 1% milk and see where that takes me.

[juced_porkchop]

to put on wiaght i rec you up your cals. add in more fats like olive oil to pasta sauce ot hummas or soups ect. and maybe a peanutbutter sandwich. or like me i add peanut butter to my lipotropic shakes.
ad in 20g more of whey or other protein and maybe a cup of juic and youre there id think. and wach how you do and eather dd a bit or take a bit. sounds like you really need ot add so.
good luck

[Everett]

Hi beretta,
I have read your goals and as you are maintaining your weight so I think you are not eating enough.
What exercises are you doing to get strength and bulk?

[JonnyO]

Way too less calories.....Find you maintanence amount and slowly add to that, say 500 cal increments....go up slowly or you'll wreck havoc on your digestive system. I have figure clients on more cals that that that are dieting down.

[beretta96]

Right now we're using reverse pyramid for most exercises and and at our heaviest weights a max rep of 5. We typically have 4 exercises per body part. I was going to drop my night shake and make it 1% cottage cheese....a cup with blueberries and add some almonds with my daytime shakes.

Hi beretta,
I have read your goals and as you are maintaining your weight so I think you are not eating enough.
What exercises are you doing to get strength and bulk?

[donston]

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[dicaprio]

Hi guys,

I haven't posted in an awful long time but have been reading now and again. I took some time off for personal reasons but now getting back on track lately but I believe my diet is messed up. Looking for opinons please.

37 years old
5'11
213#
12% bf

according to fitday I'm eating,
2421 calories
48 fat
215 carb
285 protein

Most of my protein is chicken or tuna, and on occasion moose, deer and liver. I have three protein shakes and they are pre and post workout along with late afternoon. My pre workout shake is mixed with oats, egg whites, milk and creatine. This is my breakfast before the gym.

Don't be shy please and thank you.

2421 is not enough if you want to build muscle or making an effort to increase your strength.Please share first the goal with us so that we can place better comments on your current meal plan.
Also if possible do add your exercise or work out routine.If you are following some routine.

[Hooper]

You don't need to struggle hard and you are very near to your goal and can easily achieve your goal. Just be on track and you will get the success.